ANN ARBOR—Thirty-three of the world’s largest companies have thrown their support behind the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policies in admissions, noting that “the future of Americanbusiness, and, in some measure, the American economy, depends upon” theability of universities to select student bodies that are racially andethnically diverse.

General Motors headlines the group of multinational companies that will file two amicus or “friend of the court” briefs today (May 31) in the University’s appeal of Grutter v. Bollinger, a case challenging the Law School admissions policy. They are among a group of more than 80 organizations representing business, labor, public officials, higher education and the legal profession filing amicus briefs in support of the University’s position, U-M President Lee C. Bollinger said.

On March 27, federal district court Judge Bernard Friedman issued a ruling that the University’s Law School admissions policy, which considers the applicant’s race as one factor in admissions decisions, was unconstitutional. The case is on appeal in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

Many of the amicus supporters also will file briefs on behalf of the University in the undergraduate admissions lawsuit, Gratz v. Bollinger, around June 13. Judge Patrick Duggan upheld the University’s policies in his Dec. 13 decision.

“I am deeply gratified at this stunning array of support for our position,” Bollinger said. “It is a reaffirmation of the widespread public support that exists for our policies and the overwhelming belief that we must continue to educate a diverse group of students in our law schools and in our universities generally.”

General Motors first supported the University in a brief filed in of 20 corporations, and 12 additional companies are joining the new brief filed today.

The companies on the briefs filed today include: 3M, Abbott Laboratories, American Airlines, Ashland, Bank One Corp., Boeing, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, Eli Lilly, Ernst & Young, Exelon, Fannie Mae, General Dynamics, General Mills, General Motors, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, KPMG International, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Mitsubishi, Nationwide Mutual Insurance, Pfizer, PPG Industries, Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee, Steelcase, Texaco, TRW, and United Airlines.

In its brief, General Motors says that it depends upon universities such as U-M to teach students the skills required to succeed and lead in the global marketplace, and the quality of education provided by these universities “therefore profoundly affects the ability of General Motors, and indeed all major American corporations, to compete.”

“Only a well-educated, diverse workforce, comprising people who have learned to work productively and creatively with individuals from a multitude of races and ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, can maintain America’s competitiveness in the increasingly diverse and interconnected world economy,” the GM brief says.

In both briefs, the corporations note that almost half of the U.S. population will be made up of minorities by the year 2050. “Today’s global marketplace and the increasing diversity in the American population demand the cross-cultural experience and understanding” gained from an educational environment where they are exposed to diverse ideas, perspectives and interactions, the companies write.

Individuals who have been educated in a diverse setting are more likely to succeed, the companies say, for several reasons: They are better able to facilitate unique and creative approaches to problem-solving arising from the integration of different perspectives. They can better develop products and services that appeal to a wide variety of consumers and to market offerings in ways that appeal to those consumers. They are more likely to contribute to a positive work environment, decreasing incidents of discrimination and stereotyping. A racially diverse group of managers is better able to work with business partners, employees and clientele in the United States and around the world.

Maintaining a diverse work force and a climate that is welcoming of diversity also is essential to businesses’s ability to recruit the most talented employees and to maximize the productivity of those employees, the companies write.

“Managers unskilled in considering diverse perspectives may fail to recognize excellent ideas when they come from unexpected sources,” says the GM brief. “A lack of exposure to persons of different races and ethnicities may also result in economically inefficient, and improper, hiring and promotion decisions, influenced by false stereotypes rather than an objective assessment of true merit.”

More information about the two lawsuits against the University can be found on the Web at http://www.umich.edu/~urel/admissions/